Following India’s strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan, under Operation Sindoor, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has completely dismissed the 1972 Shimla Agreement. He said the 1972 Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan is now defunct.
In an interview with a Pakistani news channel, Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif said not only has the Shimla Agreement ended, but it is now nothing more than a “dead document”.
The Pakistani minister further stated that the current situation between India and Pakistan resembles the 1948 scenario, and the Line of Control (LoC) should now be considered merely a “ceasefire line”. He also hinted that Pakistan might start raising the Kashmir issue in multilateral and international forums rather than treating it as a strictly bilateral matter.
Earlier, after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India held the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance. In response Pakistan had suspended the Shimla Agreement. However, in his latest comments, Khawaja Asif has claimed the agreement is now completely void instead of Suspended.
Pakistan’s Move Could Fall Flat On Its Face
Ironically, Pakistan’s move to disown the Shimla Agreement could backfire on them. During the 1971 war, Pakistan captured the Chhamb sector in Jammu and Kashmir, a region that was part of India since Independence. Under the terms of the 1972 Shimla Agreement, Pakistan was allowed to retain control over Chhamb.
The Chhamb sector holds significant strategic importance. It was originally recognised as Indian territory in the 1949 Ceasefire Agreement. Although Pakistan captured it in the 1965 War, India regained it during the conflict. But again, in the 1971 war, Pakistan occupied Chhamb, and this occupation was formalised through the Shimla Agreement. Pakistan later renamed the area to Iftikharabad, and many local families were forced to migrate to Jammu to retain their Indian identity.
India Can Reclaim Chhamb As Its Own
Currently, Chhamb lies within Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. However, Pakistan’s official discarding of the Shimla Agreement means it has ceded Chhamb to India.
India can now claim that it is no longer bound by the territorial concessions made in 1972. Also, under the Shimla Agreement, India gained control over the Chorbat Valley (883 sq km) and four villages, which are now part of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
